Here's my upgrade...make suggestions!

[ForbiddenDonut]

Well, I'll be heading back to school in a few weeks, so it's time to upgrade! A couple of things first: This is not a machine for overclocking. I want this thing to be stable as a rock for a long time, hence the intel brand mobo and crucial ram. Also, I'd like a reccomendation on the hard drives...I've included the 3 options I'm considering, and would like people's opinions on whether or not the speed increase from raid is worth it, or if the maxtor sata drives are worth it. So...without further ado....


Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor 3GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 478 Retail - $ 393 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...oductCode=80661 )

Motherboard: Intel D875PBZLK i875P P4 (800FSB) Skt478 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail - $154 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=240893 )

Vid Card: Visiontek Xtasy 9800 Pro Video Card, AGP 8X, 128MB DDR - $299 ( http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...ARCH&tabtype=rb )

Ram: 2x512 crucial pc3200 - $190 ( http://www.crucial.com/store/PartSp...464Z40B&cat=RAM )

Sound Card: Creative Labs SB Audigy 2 6.1 Sound Card Retail - $114.50 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=290211 )

Power Supply: Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply Retail - $82.49 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=270007 )

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB (WD1200BB Special Edition) 120GB EIDE ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer - $106 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=101205 )
------------------------------------OR------------------------------------------
2xMaxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 6Y080M0 80GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer - $205( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=100710 ) for RAID0 configuration
------------------------------------OR------------------------------------------
1xMaxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 6Y120M0 120GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer - $124 ( http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/Produ...ductCode=100705 )

TOTAL: $1338.99 or $1437.99 or $1356.99

Things I'm keeping from my current comp are: LG915FT+ monitor. Lian Li pc60 case. Plexwriter 8x4x32. Western Digital 45 meg HD w/2 meg of cache. Pioneer slot loading DVD drive. Videologic sirocco crossfire speakers. My mouse, and my keyboard

 

[Corporate Thug]

LOL, upgrade? thats a whole new system!

honestly, i wouldnt change a damn thing. most people will say get an IS7/IC7 or P4P800/P4C800 but intel mobos are ROCK stable. i would keep the system as is and get the 120 GB WD SE

 

[Macro2]

nice upgrade...

You must not burn much...that plexwriter 8x4x32 doesn't support burnproof technology and is slow (but a goodie)

 

[Corporate Thug]

yeah, honestly if you are goin all out sell the plexi and get a 52X lite-on

 

[ForbiddenDonut]

bump

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Nice choice of parts by the way.

I would go for a 2.8C processor since it will save you $100, not that you need to by the looks of your system, but who doesn't want to save money?

I'd go for the Western Digital drive since the JB drives come with a 3 year warranty, atleast it did with my 120GB JB drive with the 8mb cache. I wouldn't go for SATA since the price difference in your case won't really help out at all. Infact, right now, SATA doesn't have any use in terms of speed. THe only use of it could be for slimmer wires to help save space.

In the money you can save with the cpu, since that extra 200mhz won't really help all that much, you can get a newer CDRW drive. I'd go for a Plextor drive if you have the extra money, otherwise just get a Lite-On. Also, no need for the 52x32x52 drives, just go for the 48x CDRW drive sinec the money difference doesn't justify the extra speed.

The only other thing I would change would be to get a Raptor drive for OS and games, and maybe an 80GB drive for everything else, or maybe even just use the Western Digital 120GB drive you already chose.

 

[Slammy1]

Yeah, you can get like a 4% o/c on that board, and it is rated highly stable. The 3.0C should come down, you might wait for that before upgrading. A good, solid system, though I'm inclined to buy a slower CPU, faster memory, and an o/c'er board simply because of the money savings. Besides, playing with my settings is the best game I have installed, followed closely by UT2k3 and Nascar2003.

 

[ForbiddenDonut]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
Yeah, you can get like a 4% o/c on that board, and it is rated highly stable. The 3.0C should come down, you might wait for that before upgrading. A good, solid system, though I'm inclined to buy a slower CPU, faster memory, and an o/c'er board simply because of the money savings. Besides, playing with my settings is the best game I have installed, followed closely by UT2k3 and Nascar2003.

In the past, I have done a lot of computer tinkering. I've decided that the cost of the slower processor + faster ram + OC mobo is almost the same as what I'm doing here. Take a 2.4C. It weighs in at approximately $180 dollars, saving me approximately 200. Now, I get an OCer board for another 50 extra, and OCer ram for another 100 extra. It saves me a little money, but not a whole lot...and ends up stressing the system much more. I just want a fast system straight out, without having to worry about extra cooling and potentially hurting the lifespan of my system.

As for the 3.0C being expensive right now...I'd wait, but I want to get this upgrade in before I head back to school.

Thanks for the input!